The Awkward Life of a Lying Hyuuga
by TerangaIsGood
Summary: Hinata has a big secret that she is willing to take to her grave. And she will do anything and everything it takes to give her unborn child a safe home, even if that means keeping it from her clan...or its unknowing father. All the while a dangerous threat lurks within the shinobi realm. People are losing their chakra! Canon up to 699. Not a "cheaters" fic.
1. Prelude

**A/N: Hey. I have read several SasuHina fanfics and have now decided to try and give it a go myself. I have never written a SasuHina fanfic before. Kinda excited lol. This is a slow burn and does take into account canon relationships and how they could affect the leading characters. I don't really like stories where the authors from the get-go deny Hinata or Sasuke's feelings towards Naruto and Sakura, respectively, because I think it takes away from their characters and because aNgStY dRaMa, I love you! By the way, Hinata and Sasuke are not cheaters in this fanfic. Hope you enjoy!**

**Just FYI: I have never watched "The Last", besides short clips. I do not follow the Boruto series either. Whatever I have inside this fanfiction is simply based on what I have read/watched of the Naruto series myself, the analyses/spoilers I have read online, and my own interpretations of the characters and their relationships. I was actually fine with the endgame pairings at the end of the Naruto finale (though I thought the way some of them were portrayed were not the best written, but hey, Kishi said he isn't good at romance), but I wanted to see what would happen if they hadn't happened. My fanfiction takes place right before "The Last" (thus "The Last" never happens) and the Ōtsutsuki clan are not villains in this story and do not appear besides mention of Kaguya and their history in relation to the shinobi world.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything remotely related to Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does.

_PRELUDE_

It was four o'clock in the morning when the blue haired heiress slipped from her bedroom's balcony. The cool night air swept past her face as she quietly and stealthily bypassed her clan's night guards. It was a great feat that she had managed to do this. What, with their infamous kekkei genkai and all, one could not have fathomed how she could have snuck by their all-seeing eyes.

However, though shy, Hinata Hyuuga did have the capability of being a rather smart girl (although her father would have claimed otherwise due to her lack of finesse as a kunoichi), and had planned well in advance of how to make her escape.

She convinced one of the branch members to tell her of the guards' positions at night (that took a bit of awkward flirting on her part, and boy, had that been terrifying!), and managed to uncover who worked which shift and where. Come to find that Thursday nights were always when a man named Itazaki was placed to guard the front gate, while his girlfriend,Yumuru, was to provide surveillance among the Hyuuga gardens. These two positions were imperative information for Hinata since her bedroom window was located just above the gardens and right after the gardens was the front gate, which was the exit of the Hyuuga compound.

Fortunately for the Hyuuga heiress and unbeknownst to Hiashi Hyuuga, who would have been out for blood if he _had _known, was that these particular love birds, Itazaki and Yumuru, enjoyed having prompt nightly "meetups" anywhere between 4:00 and 5:00 in the morning. Hinata had learned of this through her secret informer and confirmed it through personal observation of the two shinobi.

Hinata had patiently waited for the lovers to depart that early morning. She silently watched them through the walls with her Byakugan eyes. When she had finally seen the two flutter off somewhere into the distance, that was when she took the moment to descend from her balcony. She didn't turn off her kekkei genkai until she was safely off of the premises of the compound.

Hinata's footsteps were not audible as she proceeded to leap from rooftop to rooftop on Konoha's many homes. There had been a lot of rebuilding done since Pein's destruction of the village. She was happy to find that she seldom had to worry about whether or not she would suddenly fall through the roof of an unstable building-in-the making as she had had to in the past.

The wind brushed her navy locks past her face and she abruptly was content with the fact that the Inuzuka clan were not known to be nocturnal ninja. They weren't like the Watanabe clan, who were notorious for their cat-like eyes and appearances, and who often toured the streets at night with their night vision.

No, she was certainly glad that her most trusted friend, Kiba, (though she wondered if he would still feel this way about her soon) could not be seen invading her line of vision. Because she was certain that if he caught her running swiftly throughout the village at this time of night, he would stop her and begin demanding her for answers. Answers she simply could not and would not be able to give, if her fears were true.

The Hyuuga heiress's legs came to a screeching halt at the sight of the back entrance to Konoha's one and only hospital. Her heart jumped in her chest. She tugged on the ends of her shirt out of a fit of nerves and let out a shaky breath. After a few moments of gathering a hold of herself, her hands began to go through a series of signs. A poof of smoke later, Hinata Hyuuga could no longer be found. Instead a taller, much skinnier lady of red flaming hair had taken her place. Hinata closed the genjutsu's eyes. She performed another sign. The trace of her chakra was suddenly lowered considerably. _'I hope to Kami this will be sufficient enough.'_ she thought. She then leaped from the house she had been standing on, and went to enter the sliding doors of the hospital.

On normal visits, Hinata always used the front entrance of the hospital to go to her doctor's appointments, just as most people did. But tonight was not a normal visit for Hinata, and different circumstances called for different measures. The waiting room was fairly vacant. She noticed this immediately upon walking into the back entrance. It was probably due to the earliness of the morning. She didn't mind this though. On the contrary, she welcomed the emptiness with open and appreciative arms.

She went straight for the receptionist's desk with not an ounce of hesitation in her wake. Though her outward person appeared calm and collected, it was most definitely a façade. She mentally had to keep repeating to herself, _"Remember what you practiced. Remember what you practiced" _just to keep herself from falling apart.

Before Hinata knew it, she was standing in front of a woman who looked to be in her 30s. The woman was a brunette with long, colorful nails. Hinata was certain that, though appealing to the eye, her nails would more than likely cut a shinobi into ribbons. The woman scrutinized Hinata with haughty eyes through thick, gaudy glasses. It tempted the 18-year-old girl to squirm in place. But no. She would not break her fake front of being aplomb. Especially not after everything else she'd been through. She was strong!...right?

The receptionist had a gold plate name tag on her with the name "Tachibana" written on it. She clicked some gum between her teeth as she finally addressed the Hyuuga, or rather, the Hyuuga's glamour self. "Tayoshi-sama. A pleasure to see you again this…" The woman's sharp eyes flickered to the clock above the water fountain in the center of the waiting room. "Early morning." she finished. Yet her tone implied it was anything but pleasurable. She actually sounded a bit suspicious. Nevertheless, if she was skeptical, she didn't voice this opinion aloud. "How may I be of service to you?"

Hinata confirmed that her hand was steady before bringing it up to the woman's desk. In her palm was a false I.D. she had created the week before with a supposed top-notch online site. The site was specifically made for fraud. She really hoped it was top-notch, what with all the money she had to dish out just to get the square piece of paper that was in her hand. "I am picking up a few medical documents. I requested them yesterday." she stated. Good. Good. Her voice was not wavering.

"Ah. Yes." Tachibana rolled backwards on her swivel chair and turned around to start peeking through the many cubby-holes behind her desk. Located in most of the cubbies were stacks of papers and bagged medical prescriptions. The woman stopped when she reached the "T" section of the cubbies, and easily grabbed a hold of a flimsy manila envelope. She snapped back around to Miss "Tayoshi".

"Here are all of the results, ma'am. I hope you find the answers well. If you have any doubts in regards to the lab tests, we can always schedule you an appointment with Tsunade sensei. So." Tachibana placed the envelope out in front of her and gave Hinata a none-too-happy smile. The heiress got the feeling the lady didn't really want to be there. "Any more questions?" she asked.

Hinata shook her head.

"Good."

She then handed Hinata the envelope. Hinata allowed a quiet "arigatou gozaimasu" to pass her lips before slightly bowing. Once she retrieved herself back upwards, she calmly headed towards the bathroom that was near the entrance of the waiting room. As soon as her body was out of the view of the receptionist, she beelined for the toilet stall farthest away from the bathroom door.

She didn't pay any mind to the improperness she exerted when she allowed her butt to collide with the toilet seat whilst still fully clothed as she wasted no time in ripping the envelope apart. Her fingers were trembling uncontrollably. If it wasn't for her chakra enhanced strength that was spurred on by the adrenaline rushing through her veins, Hinata might not have been able to even get one tear out of the orange package.

She could hear her heart pounding loudly throughout her ears. Sweat was collecting at the center of her palms and armpits. She was surprised her teeth hadn't even started chattering yet, an action they did sometimes right before she was filled to the point of anxiety that she fainted. She was so swift in her haste to getting out the documents she so sought for, that several of the papers ended up falling onto the dirty floor below her. One even appeared to have landed on a few drops of pee that were left by the last occupant of the stall. Hinata cursed mentally. How much worse could this month get?

She hurriedly picked up the papers and her eyes immediately began to scan over them. Her pupilless orbs skipped over the different test results that went over all the diseases she didn't have until they came across one particular piece of paper that started off with a box containing an eight letter word followed by a question mark. _Pregnant?_

Hinata breathed in deeply and tore her gaze away from the paper. This was it. The moment of truth. Her hands tightened their grip on the sheet, crinkling its sides. Let this be what tells her she hadn't been showing symptoms of morning sickness. Instead, it was just the common flu. _"Please Kami, please Kami. Have mercy upon me." _she pleaded as she finally got the courage within her to look at the pregnancy result. Time stilled. _Positive._

She suddenly couldn't breathe. No. No! It had all been a mistake! Just a stupid accident that neither of them wanted! It wasn't like they had even been drinking…

The papers fell from her hands to once again land on the urine below. But Hinata didn't care. A peed on floor was the last thing on her mind at that moment. No, what was currently troubling her was much more complex and frightening. How was she going to tell Naruto, or Sakura, or better yet _him?! _

She had gotten pregnant by the boyfriend of her _best friend_ and the best friend of her _boyfriend_. There was no way this was happening, no way…!

But then, an even scarier thought crossed her mind. Could she tell anyone? Words of past warnings repeated themselves in her ears. '_The shinobi world is now in utter chaos. Many ninjas have fallen. With little to no remaining kekkei genkai bloodlines on the continent, the daimo and kages of other lands are growing desperate. They are resorting to kidnappings. And the Futashi clan are still among us. They will try to exterminate as many chakra wielders as possible. You and the Uchiha are at great risk.'_

Her child would carry two of the most powerful kekkei genkai in the world. If people were to find out...

Her hand flew to her agape mouth. She couldn't process it. Any of it. She was completely in shock. How could this have happened? How could such a powerful child be growing in her womb? Yes, she had counted the days. Yes, she had noticed the sudden absence of her period. Yes, she knew what it looked like with the vomiting and the swollen breasts, but she had only ever slept with one person and that had only been _one time. _How could she have gotten pregnant that easily?!

Hinata stayed like that, frozen on the toilet seat and staring out into nothing for what seemed like hours, though really it must have been only minutes, before she finally managed to somewhat drag herself out of her stupor, and exited the bathroom. She needed to get home before someone discovered she wasn't there.

The envelope and its contents were now placed firmly against her chest and she was planning for them to remain that way, but fate had other plans for her. She was so consumed in her thoughts and inner turmoil from what she had learned that she failed to recognize the familiar chakra that was aiming straight for her before it was too late.

"Gah!" she gasped. The envelope and the documents it contained fell to the floor for a third time that day. Hinata faltered over her words, face completely red and hidden by her curtain of hair as she abruptly bowed and apologized to the person she had just bumped into. "G-gomenasai!" She didn't wait for the person's response before she was seen diving for her scattered papers.

"Oh, it's not a problem at all! _I'm_ sorry, in fact. I wasn't watching where I was going. Here, let me help you." Hinata froze at the voice of the kunoichi who was coming closer to help her. A glimpse of pink hair and a bright green jewel smack dab in the middle of a shiny forehead was all it took to convince Hinata that hey, fate really must have hated her today.

She squeaked. "N-no, that won't be n-necessary!" she stammered. She all but threw herself across the papers, successfully blocking Sakura Haruno from their view. She had practically shoved the pinkette away. The great queen of fist seemed a little taken aback by the other woman's actions. She grimaced. She had only meant to help.

Hinata berated herself at the uncomfortable silence that then passed between them. She was so shocked by the other female's abrupt appearance that she momentarily forgot about her disguise and her need to not seem out of the ordinary.

"I'm sorry." Sakura stated, sounding both surprised and offended by the strange woman's way of declining for her aid. Her emerald eyes narrowed. For some reason...she swore she could sense Hinata's chakra nearby. Albeit it appeared faint. Why would Hinata be out this late? That didn't make sense. She paused for a moment, thinking, before shrugging it off. Perhaps her good friend was simply out doing an early morning spar. Possibly even with Sakura's other good, blonde-haired friend. She smiled a little at that. She stood back up.

"Have a good night ma'am," she said. Sakura then departed. Hinata exhaled in relief. That could have gone worse. She too, got up, and brushed off her pants legs. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that Miss Tachibana was currently judging her from behind her desk. Hinata gave a painful smile. "Erm, goodnight." she said awkwardly. She dashed for the exit.

By the time she reached back to the Hyuuga compound, dawn was approaching from the East. Her disappearance had not been noticed by any of her family members. Hinata hid the file of documents underneath her bed, between her mattress and the bed's platform bed frame. She then slipped underneath the covers and closed her eyes to get some much-needed sleep. She would have to figure out what to do about her predicament in the morning. She wasn't in the correct mind state to currently think of anything. As she started to slowly drift off, her mind began to wander to memories of the past. A past that brought her to her present problem.

**A/N: Next chapter goes back into the past and shows us how our little Hinata got into her current problem. ;) Thanks for reading. Reviews are appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 1: No More Chakra

**A/N: Hello again! Thanks to all those who sent kind reviews, followed, or favorited this. It makes me very happy. :) Some of you left comments under "guests" so I will respond to them down below:**

**"Somebody" - Thank you for the encouraging words! I hope you will like this next chapter just as much! :)**

**Guest 1 - Thank you! And I guess we will have to see why Hinata "slept" with Sasuke as the story continues. ;)**

**Guest 2 - Thankssss ~ I hadn't thought about it from that perspective until you mentioned it!**

**Now, I just want to clarify some things. This may be a bit of a lengthy story. This chapter and quite a few chapters afterwards will be considered the first "arc" of the story. It explains in detail what happened between Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, and Sakura leading up to the conception of Hinata's child. The second "arc" will be focusing back on present day Hinata's predicament and how she will be keeping things hidden. If you like lengthy stories, then come along and grab a seat! If you don't...maybe you will consider one? Lol. **

**Note: I did add some more details to my author's note in the post before this one, so to my earlier readers, I'd advise you to maybe go back and take a sneak peek at it. Now without further ado~**

** _FIRST ARC_ **

** _Chapter 1:_ ** _ No More Chakra_

_Three months prior_

"Harder!"

Streams of perspiration tumbled down Hinata's red face and aching shoulders as her attacker's fists rained down upon her more fiercely than ever. Her former lavender and cream hooded jacket was gone, exchanged out years ago for a sleeveless, just-as-equally-lavender kimono-styled blouse. This updated mission attire was currently drenched in sweat, revealing the harsh work its owner had been persevering through for the last two hours.

Black heeled boots combatted away a chakra filled palm. Another clothing item to add to the list of Hinata's ever changing wardrobe. She was abandoning the conservative, baggish clothing of her youth in order to adopt a more serious, mature look. A look that spoke of her entrance into womanhood.

"Faster." Hiashi barked. He was pacing on the sidelines, measuring the two shinobi with great intensity. A frown was marrowing his otherwise pale and elegant face. Hiashi was not a man known for smiles, but there was something in his eyes that told Hinata, or any Hyuuga for that matter, that the grimace on his features was not just present because it was his natural facial expression. No. Hiashi Hyuuga was _disappointed_, and very much so.

He paused in place and turned his body to face in the direction of his daughter, and the younger ninja who had yet to even pass his chunin exams. _'Pathetic.' _he nearly snarled aloud. The clashing of kunai and fists were all that could be heard in the private training grounds of the Hyuuga compound. If one hadn't been careful, they may have accidentally mistaken the spar as an actual fight, Hiashi thought bitterly. For the battle he was watching was not a fight. It was an utter _defeat. _A defeat for his oldest daughter. A defeat for the whole entire Hyuuga clan. A defeat for _him. _

Hinata, like her father, knew she was losing, though she tried her hardest not to allow her growing despair to get to her. A fist connected with her jaw. She stumbled backwards. _'I don't give up...' _she began to think encouragingly to herself. She blocked a kick but didn't realize it was a decoy to an incoming stab. Rip! Her blouse suddenly had a gap around the area of her left breast. Good thing she chose to wear an extra shirt underneath her blouse that day.

_'For it is my nindo…' _Her counter attacks were becoming more aggressive. She had this! _'...my ninja way!'_

But her opponent, a thirteen year old male branch member named Akira, easily dodged her latest strike to his chest, and swerved around, catching her off balance. Then, with as much momentum as he could muster, he suddenly slammed all of his weight into her. A small gasp of surprise left Hinata's mouth as her body went crashing into a tree a few feet away from them. She started coughing. A dark red liquid was seen dribbling down her chin. Blood.

Although it was not a surplus amount, the sight itself caused the head of the Hyuuga clan's eyebrows to rise. He shook his head before lifting his right hand. "Enough." he called out. "I am sick of bearing witness to such foolishness."

Akira froze his movements with the orders of his lord. He nodded his head in obedience. He then went to help out his future heiress, but was stopped by the words of his lord again. "Do not help her." Hiashi instructed. His voice sounded tense and daring as if he was silently challenging the young teen to defy him. The boy felt a twinge of guilt upon hearing his master's words but nonetheless, complied with the demand. He watched pityingly as Hinata attempted to lift herself up only to fall back down on the hard earth below. Hiashi removed his gaze from his weak daughter and began to walk towards his house. "When you are ready Hinata, meet me in the Tatami room. You know what we will be discussing." And know she did. He then departed.

Hinata remained sprawled out on the sand flooring. She could still feel the sympathetic eyes of the boy on her. She sighed. Tried as she had, she still ended up with the usual result. _She lost._

* * *

The shower's hot water eased Hinata's tense shoulders as she washed away the day's dirt and grime. She had successfully managed to heal the bruises and cuts adorning her body by herself with the techniques Sakura had taught her. It took her longer and her handiwork was not nearly as good as the mighty Tsunade's pupil (some of the bruises were still there, just a light yellow rather than the dark purple they should've been), but it was enough to appease her. It was embarrassing enough that it was revealed to her father how incompetent of a kunoichi she was (she had been defeated by a genin! A genin! - though granted _Naruto _was still technically a _genin)_. How much more embarrassing would it have been to have to explain to the healers why she needed healing after a battle that everyone on the compound had been aware of? A genin versus a war veteraned chunin? Everyone would have thought it to be a simple win!

Hinata placed her forehead against the wall of the shower and groaned. She had messed up. Severely messed up. Her chances were dwindling, and if she wasn't careful, they would soon be run out. She knew exactly what her father wanted to discuss with her this evening. Her fingers subconsciously began to trace little circles on the wall she was leaning on, giving a tilt of the hat towards her old childhood nervous tic of bringing her two pointer fingers together. These invisible, water sprinkled drawings were put to a halt when Hinata abruptly palmed herself.

There was no way she was going to make it. She was not going to be heiress. She eventually finished cleaning herself and exited the shower to get herself clothed. She continued to muse as she pulled a pair of fresh underwear on. Her mind continued to flitter towards the previous month when the Hyuuga council had called her and her younger sister to an unexpected meeting.

_More than 20 or so men were seated in the assembly hall, an elaborate room of grandeur that often hosted the Hyuuga clan's official meetings or ceremonial events, such as weddings or even sometimes, funerals. Portraits and framed scrolls informing outsiders of the history of Konoha and each ancestor of the Hyuuga clan labeled the assembly hall's walls, and in front of the two rows of seated gentleman were long oak tables. Not one female could be seen in sight amongst the council. It brought along the notion that if it wasn't traditional for the heir's direct descendants to become the next heir in-line, women probably wouldn't have any say in the Hyuuga clan's affairs. The last time Hinata had heard of a woman being in charge of the clan had been nearly a century ago. How crestfallen her father must have been when he learned that he had no son to pass on his lineage…_

_"Lady Hanabi and Lady Hinata. You have both been addressed here today for a subject that has been with the clan for far too long." Hinata remembered looking to her father at that, but he did not meet her stare, despite her knowing he knew she was looking at him. "As you all remember the late branch member, Neji-" Hinata shriveled at the mention of his name and subconsciously wrapped her arms around her. "- you all should also remember his father, Hizashi Hyuuga." the older man gazed directly at Hinata at that, and even though it was not necessarily her fault that she had been kidnapped, she knew that this man, whoever he was, seemed to silently blame her for the past branch member's death. Perhaps his reasoning was because she hadn't been strong enough to defend herself against her captors before her father had to step in and kill them for her. An interesting accusation towards a child who had only been three years old at the time. Or perhaps he was more angered by the fact that he felt Hizashi's sacrifice and maybe even Neji's had been unwarranted and done in vain. Why_? 'Because you aren't worth it.' _a devilish voice whispered inside her mind. Yet another voice, one that was interestingly reminiscent of Neji's, denied this. _

_The older clan member resumed his speech. "It is widely known that Hizashi was the younger twin brother of Hiashi Hyuuga. However, those few minutes in between their births was fate's way of determining which brother would live a long life of honorable servitude, while the other would go on to become a great warrior, politician, and leader of our compound. Hiashi Hyuuga has performed all of these titles with the utmost integrity and hard work that anyone could ask for. In a few years time however, he will have to give up his reign as heir and pass on the duty to someone else. This person can _only _be one person. As tradition, one sibling will be selected to be heir and continue on to be part of the main family. We Hyuuga are currently lacking in numbers with our branch members, after the loss of Hizashi, Neji, and countless others who had fallen during the Fourth Shinobi World War. Branch members are essential in preserving the Hyuuga bloodline, maintaining the Byakugan's secrets, and in the protection of Konoha and our compound, since the majority of our fighting men come from the branch house. As our family history holds, when the branch house is low in members, we call upon the main family to give up their own lives and luxury to fulfill positions in servitude. The last time we had called forth a decision such as this was 49 years ago." _

_Hinata suddenly felt cold. 49 years ago. That was how old her father was. Her eyes shot over to her sister. Hanabi was returning her stare. So what they were saying was...what they were saying was-_

_Hanabi was the first one to break their astonished silence. "You are all saying one of us will be chosen as heir while the other must become a branch member? They must be...sealed?" Hanabi's tone was firm and strong, showing no fear, as she stood tall and proud before her audience. Yet Hinata could tell by the slight twitch of her left hand that her younger sister was left uneasy by the newfound revelation as well. The councilman did not waste time in answering her. "Yes, that is correct, Lady Hanabi." _

_"Then why…" Hanabi started, an eyebrow slightly raised. She was genuinely confused about something. "Why has the council not already announced an heir? Has it not already been determined? Who is it?" She pointed at herself and then at Hinata and questioned loudly, "Me, or my sister?" _

_Now it was the councilman's turn to look at Hiashi. His eyes narrowed as he continued scrutinizing him and he finally uttered, "We do not know. We as a clan cannot make the decision. It appears that our heir has not made up his mind as to who should be the next to walk in his footsteps." Then all eyes proceeded to zero in on Hiashi._

The meeting had been adjourned shortly after that. There had never been a clear answer, but it was apparent what the girls had to do; prove themselves before their father and the clan if they wished to avoid being branded by the cursed seal.

Hinata acknowledged that they were basically being pitted against each other. She hated it. She didn't want to "beat" her sister. As a matter of fact, she could care less about the title of heiress itself. In most circumstances, Hinata would give an arm and a leg to do anything to keep her little sister safe and protected. If someone were to threaten Hanabi's life right then and there, she would gladly take the kunai to her throat. But this was more than just about Hanabi. It was about honoring Neji's memory and the power that came with heiress that Hinata wanted. She wanted to make change within her clan. She wanted the branch system to be ** _ended. _ **Forever. Other powerful clans with kekkei genkai didn't have a branch system. So why did they have to? If Hinata won the title of heiress, she swore to herself on Neji and her mother's graves that she would never allow that forsaken seal on her sister's or anyone's else's head again. Not ever.

It was with this final thought that Hinata reluctantly and anxiously left her chambers to meet with her father downstairs.

Lord Hyuuga was soundlessly sipping on some tea when she arrived there. His tucked in feet rested atop a lavender colored pillow called a zabuton, and the porcelain tray that he had retrieved his teacup from was resting on the table in front of him. The table was a traditional table in the shinobi world. It was short legged and commonly used in rooms where people either sat directly on their tatami flooring or as in the case of her father, used zabutons to better cushion themselves. It was known as a chabudai.

Her father did not speak a word to her as she slid open the shoji doors gracefully before closing them shut, and went to rest beside him on her own zabuton. There were several moments of silence between them, silence that had Hinata continuously growing on edge, before Hiashi finally decided to speak. "You know why you are here." Hinata stared down at her lap. She could not meet his gaze. She weakly nodded. Hiashi glanced over at her and upon seeing her distraught yet accepting face, he sighed. "I didn't call you here to tell you that you are now a member of the branch family. But I am here to warn you." Hinata perked up at this. She had been hoping it was simply a slap on the wrist on her father's part, but she had also prepared herself for the worst. She was happy to discover kami had apparently not given up on her yet. She still had time.

She raised up her head and met with her father's eyes. She regarded his words seriously. "To warn me?" she repeated, though she definitely had an inkling as to what he was referring to. Hiashi placed his teacup down. He stared off into the distance with a faraway look. "Many years ago after the death of my twin brother, I made a promise to myself that I would not allow my children to suffer the same fate. I would try my best to keep them both in the main family and both involved in the council. However, as stated in last month's meeting, the clan _needs _more branch members. I have no other choice but to do as suggested by my council and provide us a sufficient source to spring forth more branch offspring." He then, for the first time since Hinata could remember in her 18 years of life, appeared sorrowful. "I do not want to do this to you, my daughter." he confessed. It was seldom that he referred to Hinata as 'his daughter". Without warning, he banged his fist against the chubadai containing the tea set. The porcelain rattled against the table. A thick tension hovered in the atmosphere. Then he breathed in deeply, and it lessened. Hinata chose to intervene then. "Father, if I may speak?" He granted her permission.

Hinata tried to keep herself from fidgeting as she was suddenly under the attentive gaze of her father. Her heart's pace quickened. She could speak her piece. She could speak her piece. She had been brave enough to speak her mind when she slapped Naruto on the battlefield those many months ago. This should be a piece of cake (yet then why didn't it feel like it).

She inhaled, bracing herself. She shut her eyes. "Why must you follow the council's advice? Is there really no other way to handle this situation? Could we perhaps _not _have a branch system? You are the head after all, father. Could you not change such things? Couldn't we all learn shinobi skills to protect ourselves and all stand in equal footing-" The rushed words that had been pouring out of her mouth became like led against her tongue at the intervention of her father's sharp cutting tone.

"_**H**_**_inata."_**

She peeked up at him. She was shocked to discover that his byakugan had been activated. A finger was held to his lips. His body was stiff at attention as his eyes roamed through areas that without her own kekkei genkai on, Hinata could not see. When he seemed to find whatever he had been searching for, he gestured for Hinata to come closer to him and warningly murmured, "Never inquire of such things so boldly and out in the open or it ** _will _ **get you killed. It has happened in our past." And from that moment on, Hinata came to the reluctant conclusion that the branch system was a matter she would never be able to confer with her father. A shame.

Hiashi dragged a tired hand over his face. "I did not come here to berate you. I called you here, Hinata, primarily to discuss not the unfortunate circumstances you have been thrust into, but your potential options of getting _out _of them."

"Getting out of them?"

"Yes. We both know that Hanabi would be better suited for the position of heiress. She is much stronger, smarter, and of thicker skin than you, as was shown in this afternoon's early spar." He still seemed a bit peeved by the memory of the fight for he curled his lip. Hinata did not deny his statements. They were all true. Hanabi was a very intelligent, tough kunoichi. And she was…

Her father cleared his throat uneasily and continued. "So that would leave you as the daughter to be branded and sent to be apart of the branch household. However," and this was a BIG however, as was emphasized by the way he enunciated the word, "the council and I have agreed that any female under our clan who marries the hokage cannot and will not receive the status of branch member, because we would not want to spark controversy amongst the village nor upset the hokage himself over his wife essentially being viewed as a slave." Hiashi gave his daughter a moment to let that sink in.

Hinata's eyes furrowed. What? How did that have anything to do with her? Kakashi would never -

Her eyes suddenly widened and her mouth dropped open to form a little "o".

_Oh._

They were referring to _any_ hokage. Such as, a certain blonde-haired young man who was for certain _going to be the next hokage. _Steam began to shoot from her ears as her face turned beet red. She tore her eyes away from her father.

Hiashi didn't pay any mind to her embarrassment. "The clan knows of your feelings towards the hero of the village and approves of your pursuit of him. They would find the joining of our family with that of the boy's to be a blessing for both parties." Hinata grimaced. Naruto saving the world aside, she knew that her clan only supported a relationship between her and Naruto due to the political advantage it would give them in the village. It was all for their own personal gain and selfish desires, not because they actually cared about her or her future children.

Yet Hinata couldn't help but to feel some warmth towards her father. Here was a stern man who rarely showed any outward display of affection for his daughters, but who still cared about them both deeply. This was proof of it. He was trying to keep her from a worse fate.

But he still wasn't finished. "I've noticed you have grown closer with the boy, but it seems you have yet to grab his attention in a romantic sense. Why is that?"

Hinata's smile fell from her face faster than someone blowing out a candle's light. _'Because he is in love with Sakura-chan. Because he could never see someone like me in _that _way. He still hasn't addressed my confession. After all these years...but I still love him. I still want to be there for him. I still want to be like him because...Naruto isn't perfect. But he tries his best and never gives up. That's why even though I am not perfect, I will always try **my best **and will never give up! Kami, is there something wrong with me for still holding out on the hope that one day, just one day, if I try hard enough, Naruto might return my feelings?..._

Lost in her thoughts, Hinata was completely caught off guard by her father's next statement. "Regardless, as the heir of the Hyuuga clan, I, Hiashi Hyuuga, order you Hinata Hyuuga to do an undercover mission for me. Get the shinobi named Naruto Uzumaki to fall in love with you."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, sat one bored hokage. Kakashi Hatake sat behind his mahogany desk, shuffling through paperwork as the sun slowly descended past his Kage Tower. A cup of stale coffee was beside his right hand and a copy of Icha Icha Paradise was obscurely placed across his lap. Whenever he was sure his assistant wasn't looking, he would take a break from his long haul of busywork and sneak a glance at the provocative images of naked women tangled up in -

A hand with purple painted fingernails intruded on the page he was reading, successfully crumpling it up with one balled fist, and the 33-year-old ex-copy ninja let out a great groan of despair. He had been caught. He followed the hand to one smoldering Karin Uzumaki.

"Kakashi!" They had long ago established that she didn't care that much about referring to him as his proper title (not that he really minded but it was very rare for someone to just outright say his name like that. Even his students tended to tag the end of his name with "sensei"). He had to refrain himself from rolling his eyes. The last time he did that, nothing ended up looking very pretty around the office. He watched as the 18 year old kunoichi stabbed a finger pointedly at his chest. _'Here it comes.' _he thought, preparing himself.

"I can't believe you!" she exclaimed. "After all this talk of doing nothing but getting caught up on your paperwork this weekend, you are sitting around reading this - this-" she snatched the porn book out of his lap. "_This crap?!" _she all but hollered. She stomped around the office, raising her hands in the air exasperatedly, all the while still maintaining the work of porn in her grasp. She continued to rant on as Kakashi patiently waited for her to calm herself down. It was understandable why she was so upset. He didn't fault her. Usually, Karin and him had the last day of the week off. They worked hard on all weekdays, were scheduled to work only half a day on Saturday, and then Sundays, they were free. That's how it typically was. With their being no war, that's how it _should have been_. But recently some new stuff had come up…

And he had fallen behind.

So he asked her for a favor. A small favor at that. To only...stay for the next two weekends late into the night helping him fill out paperwork until he got caught up. No free-weekends. Just 7 days a week, 15 hour shifts. Well...those two weekends were quickly becoming _six_ weekends.

"To think I believed..." Kakashi sweatdropped at the following F-bombs that flung out of her mouth. She still hadn't stopped ranting.

He mentally sighed. Let her get all of her fussing out. Believe it or not, Karin was not a bad assistant. In fact, she was a rather good one. Many people were shocked, including himself, when they had first seen her application for the position of hokage's assistant sometime around last year. The previous assistant had died (death by a heart attack, especially shocking considering the fact that the man had only been 25. He survived a world war only to die by his own heart's failure to work properly; the irony was not lost on the hokage).

At first, people were skeptical. Karin had been in cahoots with Orochimaru as well as had former affiliations with the Akatsuki. However, she came to prove her allegiance and necessity by helping to protect the village during a time shortly after the Fourth War. Rogue ninja had attempted to attack the land of fire when wind of Naruto and Sakura going out on a visit to Suna and Kakashi being bedridden from a severe case of pneumonia had reached outsiders' ears. Karin had personally played a part in taking care of Kakashi as well as helping Konoha's armed forces in fending off their Invaders.

It was after this that Kakashi allowed her to audition for the position of hokage's assistant (yes, there had been auditions, along with the background checks), and she was selected almost instantly. Karin was not only a formidable kunoichi but also very intelligent. She could easily read and decipher messages and with her vast knowledge of many nations' histories and traditions, she was a great person to have on standby during political meetings. She was his own mini-encyclopedia.

Then there was her _personality. _The woman didn't play. If she was given a mission, she worked hard towards getting it done, and would beat anyone else who tried to drag her down to a pulp until they straightened up (unless the mission involved a certain black-haired student of his, and then the fierce kunoichi would become something similar to putty when she thought others weren't looking). She was a good person to work alongside if you needed to be task-oriented. Something Kakashi Hatake (surprisingly, or maybe not that surprisingly) needed at times. Kakashi was a powerful ninja and could be a serious man when the time called for it, but if there was one thing he hated, it was responsibility. More so, the responsibility over _people. _

He wasn't as lazy as Shikamaru could be, but he didn't like meandering over documents he could care less about and he especially didn't like it when the death of a ninja was left on his hands due to a call that _he_ made. But then again, whoever did? The only thing he had going for him was that his term as hokage was occurring during a time of peace, for the most part. So it was very rare now that anbu were brought inside his office, reporting of a mission gone wrong and the death of a soldier.

Karin was just beginning to quiet down when the door of the room suddenly opened. In came a guard with a few papers in his hands. It was Ginoza, a man who had been serving as a sentry for the Hokage Tower for the past ten years. He was around Kakashi's age. He paused and lifted an eyebrow but otherwise did not say anything as one of the pages of Kakashi's pervy interest caught his eye upon walking in. It was of two naked women pleasuring themselves. What he didn't know was that the book didn't belong to Karin, who just so happened to have the book open in her hand when he entered.

"I didn't know you swung like that Uzumaki." he said. He didn't judge her, of course. Karin snapped her head in his direction. "What?" she said in puzzlement. What was the git talking about? It was then that her eyes grew in horror as she realized what he was referring to. She threw the copy of Icha Icha Paradise on the office's hard floor. "T-that's not mine!" she stammered. "I am not a pervert! She pointed accusingly at the rokudaime. "It's his!" she growled.

Kakashi couldn't help but to let out a bemused chuckle. Even though no one could visibly see his grin, the way his dark-colored eyes crinkled above his mask told of his mirth. "I am surprised to see you here, Ginoza. You should be off today. Everyone else is."

"Yes, but as you know, the ice cream festival is tomorrow. We have vendors still waiting to be admitted."

The silver-haired hokage frowned. Great. More permission slips to sign. "We already have quite a few." he stated. He gestured at Karin. "How many do we currently have totaled to appear within our gates?" Karin whipped out a small notepad that was hidden inside her short's back pocket. "Twenty-two." she answered.

Kakashi scratched his chin. Why were so many signing up? In previous festivals, Konoha would barely have nine vendors to sell their frozen delights, and that was with the village bargaining with them to come. "Alright, I will see what we can do. If we must, we can extend the admission deadline to tomorrow morning." He heard Karin give a huge, exaggerated sigh. She knew what that meant; pulling an all-nighter tonight. Their eyes connected. She didn't want to do it, but she _would_ do it. For him. Atta girl.

As Ginoza laid down the papers, Kakashi asked, "Have their carts already been searched for anything incriminating?" They had to be certain that nobody was attempting to smuggle in drugs or any poisons that could cause harm to the village. "Yes." Ginoza answered. He bowed and went to take his leave then, but halted in his steps when he suddenly remembered something. "Oh. You also received a letter from the Kazekage. He asks if you have found out any more information in regards to the mysterious incident that has occurred between the Land of Iron and Sound." Kakashi shook his head.

A few weeks ago, an international story had surfaced about citizens in Sound finding dead Iron Samurai across their borders. It was a very strange story to say in the least, since the samurai had been slain. Usually, shinobi all over the world agreed not to interfere with the Land of Iron since its samurai were very formidable and with their chakra techniques, could easily overcome a shinobi before he or she could even finish performing hand seals for battle. Yet the corpses had been found. Even more bizarre was that their well-known katakanas were nowhere on their persons. They usually pulsed their chakra through their swords to fight.

It was alarming to say the least, but the Land of Iron had yet to declare war on any countries surrounding them and they didn't even appear to investigate the occurrence, so Kakashi was not allowing the matter to keep him from sleeping. "If we uncover anything else or hear that Iron has decided to go on the offense, I will be sure to keep the Kazekage informed." he responded. Ginoza understood and went to retire for the day.

Karin strolled over to Kakashi's desk. She took in the pile of documents requesting access to the festival tomorrow. Her shoulders slumped. "Let's just get this crap over with."

* * *

Sakura Haruno stood at the wide gates of Konohagakure. She was waiting. As she did every evening. Birds could be heard chirping far away in the distance, singing beautiful melodies towards each other. She liked to think they were singing love songs, beckoning for their loved ones to return home safe and sound. Just as she was.

She shifted her weight onto one leg and leaned back against the tall wooden structure behind her. The wind picked up her pink bangs. She closed her eyes. She knew that if she kept them closed, and began to pray really, _really _hard, the next time she opened them the man of her dreams would be seen walking towards her. It had been over a year now since she had last seen him.

_'Sasuke-kun…' _

She could still remember the way his fingers felt against her head. _"Maybe next time." _His smile had been so warm...so kind. Sakura hummed in content at the memory but also regarded it with a hint of sadness. He never sent any messages to her. Where was he now? In the Land of Wind? Frost? Was he fighting against robbers or rogue ninjas? Was he getting the chance to finally appreciate those lands he had missed while he was out hunting for his brother all those years ago?

A shadow suddenly passed over Sakura's face. The smell of ramen and sweat infiltrated her nostrils. Even without her sight, Sakura knew who it was before he even had his big, toned arms wrapped around her. She was being lifted off of the ground. "Sakura-chan!"

Sakura opened her eyes to greet an ecstatic looking blonde. She smiled sadly. Though it was pleasant to see her friend after all these weeks of him being on a mission (reconstruction at the border of some sort), her heart's spirits were slightly dampened by the realization that her prayer hadn't worked. As it never did. "Naruto."

* * *

Sakura and Naruto walked throughout Konoha as they caught up on how their lives had been for the last two months. "How was everything at the border?" Sakura asked. Naruto shrugged. He stretched his arms above his head and yawned. "Fine. There were a bunch of old geysers. When I first got there, I couldn't get any of them to stop bowing to me, and whenever I wanted something, they just handed it to me for free." Naruto pouted at this. Sakura shook her head and half-smiled, slightly amused by his reaction, as well as impressed. Naruto still hadn't quite adjusted to all the attention he received from people around the shinobi world. Especially when it came to the fangirls. He would become a deer caught in headlights! It was funny, really. She remembered a time when a young troublemaker couldn't get enough of people's eyes being on him and did anything just to get noticed. Now he was a man filled with integrity and humility. He did things not for the sake of being praised, but out of the care for those around him. It's what would be needed of a future hokage.

"Whenever we visited the nearby villages for supplies, they would insist on not letting me pay. I told them I had the money, but they refused. It really made me uncomfortable. There were other hard-working men alongside me, and they weren't getting the same treatment. I think one of them actually resented me for it, because I swear he threw a wrench at me when I wasn't looking during the last day we were there, but I had no proof. Stupid Takashi…" he grumbled.

"I'm sure karma will catch up to him someday." she said.

"Yeah."

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek. She was hesitant to voice the question that was on her mind. "Did you happen to see _him?" _she finally got up the courage to ask. Naruto glanced at Sakura out of the corner of his eye. His friend's countenance was of one who already knew the answer before they asked it. The sound of children crying in triumph then entered his ears. Naruto went to follow the noise. There was a team of genin surrounding a tree to the left of them. In the arms of one of the boys was a feisty looking cat. Nostalgia flooded Naruto's being.

"Reminds you of us, doesn't it?" he murmured to his walking companion. Sakura furrowed her eyebrows in confusion before going to follow his gaze. "Ah."

Naruto suddenly stopped. Sakura ended her movements with him. "We will be like that again one day. Not chasing after cats, of course." He lightly chuckled before becoming serious. "But no longer chasing after Sasuke. We will be in this same village at the same time and as a team. And maybe one day, a little bit more than a team." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at Sakura. His teammate took a step back, startled and embarrassed by his teasing. It was known for a long time between the two that Naruto no longer held feelings for Sakura. He knew that it wouldn't work out, not when the pinkette was so enamored with the last living Uchiha, and there was a possibility that the Uchiha (though sometimes you had to squint for it), might reciprocate her feelings.

Sakura blushed and started to sputter. "Y-yes well - what's been going on with you and Hinata? Are _you _going to be more than friends soon?" Naruto immediately looked away. He awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "What are you talking about?" he asked nervously. Sakura beamed, satisfied with this reaction.

She stuck out her tongue at him. "I've noticed you two have been hanging out more after the war. I've seen you both eating at Ichiraku's, sparring, and walking at night together. I'm even willing to bet you are going to go visit her after we get through talking today, right?" She stared slyly at him, smirking. When he didn't respond right away, she nudged him on the shoulder and stepped in front of him, forcing him to meet her face to face. She leaned up on her tippy toes, pausing herself short of his chin. "Am I riighhtt?" she drawled.

Barely speaking above a whisper, he admitted, "Maybe."

Sakura grinned. "Hah!" She crossed her arms in front of her chest. They started walking again. "Knew it! Now, when are you going to confess?"

"Confess?" Naruto repeated. He genuinely appeared stumped. "Confess to what?"

Sakura's left eyebrow twitched. "To Hinata, you baka! It's obvious you are head over heels for her!"

"I am?"

Sakura had to stop herself from facepalming at the stupefied expression he wore. She shook her head. "Naruto, how do you feel whenever you are with Hinata?"

He thought for a moment. The topic was making him a little uneasy. "I don't know. Warm. Fuzzy. It's kinda like how I feel about ramen but a thousand times greater."

Sakura stared at him. "Ramen makes you feel warm and...fuzzy…?" She wasn't even going to _try _to process that information. She went for another angle. "What comes to your mind when you think of Hinata? Is it a particular memory you have of her, or the way she smiles or maybe her scen-"

Naruto's head bobbed up almost immediately. "I really like how kind she is and how we have the same nindo. And what she did for me...during Pein…" He didn't have to say much more. Sakura could hear the emotion in his voice. "She told me she loved me. No one has ever said that to me. Not before she did." A freckle on his hand was suddenly worthy of his attention. He began picking at it. "I'm worried she might not like me anymore, or even worse, resent me. After all this time, I still have yet to properly address her confession to me from that day." He regretted not saying anything sooner the most, but at the time there was a war going on and he hadn't deciphered his own feelings. "Let's say I do love her. How do I know she will still accept me?" he said quietly. He was shocked to feel a harsh fist colliding with his head out of nowhere.

"Ow!" he complained. His hand flew to where he had been hit. That had hurt! He glared at the kunoichi responsible. "What was that for?!" he exclaimed. Sakura brought her fists back towards her. She gave him a stern look. "Stop being silly, Naruto! Stop making excuses for yourself, and man up!" She was angry. She knew how it felt to love someone and for them to never respond to your affections. She knew how much Hinata loved and cared deeply for Naruto. She didn't want her shy friend to miss out on a life full of happiness just because the one she sought for _chickened out. _

"I've been running after the love of my life for over 7 years, way before we were even on speaking terms. Despite all that we've been through, after everything he has put you through, _me _through, I have still found it within myself to forgive him and accept him wholeheartedly. You know how Hinata is. I am sure she will do the same for you. She's already waited this long." Sakura faced away from him. "I've got to go. I am needed at the hospital tonight." She glanced back at him over her shoulder. "Remember what I've said. We kunoichi, we may go through pain but it's our suffering that brings out our perseverance." She then ran off.

Naruto watched after her. His eyes slowly became one of resolve. She was right. It was time he acknowledged his feelings and ask Hinata out. It wasn't to say he wouldn't be nervous during the whole ordeal though. He started walking towards the Hyuuga compound, concentrating hard. But how would he do it? How would he confess to her?

"Hello sir! Would you like to buy some ice cream?" Naruto considered the middle-aged man that had called out to him. A white cart with a sticker of a chocolate ice cream cone was parked beside the man. As if on cue, the jinchiruuki's stomach loudly grumbled. Naruto gave the vendor a sheepish grin. He gave a friendly wave. "Hey, you bet!" He went over to him. He read the different flavors the man was offering. "You uh, you aren't going to save the ice cream for tomorrow's festival?" Naruto asked. "Probably could sell it for double the amount then."

The man didn't seem all that concerned. "It's a smart idea but I am not too greedy. I've got nothing else better to do than to sell these cones while I'm here, so why not sell them?"

The man had a fair point. Naruto's fingers selectively ran over a few pictures of various ice cream flavors before finally landing on one. "Three vanilla cones please."

"With pleasure." They exchanged money. "Here you go." Naruto didn't waste any time in gobbling down all three of the cold treat. "Thanks old man!" he yelled as he left the scene.

The man peered after him. "Yes." he darkly chuckled when he saw Naruto go out of earshot. The frame of his shoulders slightly vibrated with his laughter. "Yes indeed." For what Naruto didn't know was that what he had just eaten would change his life forever.

* * *

The kage of the Land of Bronze yelped out in agony as the man before him plunged his knife deeper in between his rib cage. The pain...it was nothing like he had felt before. He knew he had been through worse, yet something about this time was so... _different._ He glunched at his enemy as the man smirked and removed his hand from the handle of the blade, allowing it to remain in the kage's chest.

The injection the man had stabbed him with earlier could still be felt coursing through his veins. A green fluid was leisurely oozing from his mouth, ears, and nose. It wouldn't stop. Please let it _stop. _It was causing a burning, itching sensation to occur at the flesh it rolled down. And the back of the man's throat - it felt like a hot slug was slithering down his esophagus and creeping its way into his passageways.

Why did it feel like a thousand tiny critters were huddling along his skin? They kept pricking him with their little, hairy legs.

"This." the masked man said to the kage. He was on bended knees, studying the leader intensely. "This is what I have been waiting for. For all these years have I waited for this day to come. The day where you and your pathetic, disgraceful of a kind would learn to know what it's like to feel **_pain. _ **True pain. While you all jumped around playing soldier, sending kids at ages as young as 10 on the battlefield to fight your wars," the man snarled at this, his lip curling to reveal sharp teeth. Almost like a canine's. "We've been here, lurking in the shadows, patiently looking for an opening. And now we have it. During your time of "peace." He scoffed at the word. "Peace. You all know nothing about peace. The lands may not be fighting now, but we both know that will only last for a generation before someone comes rising up, seeking power again and declaring war. They always do." He spat on the man's cheek. He rose up. He started to head for the door.

"I could kill you right now," he said as he walked. "Make it quick and easy. But I don't think I will. No. I'll let you bleed to death. Out of honor and retribution for the many men, women, and children you've allowed to die under your eyes. Sit and think about what you've done in these last moments of your life." He was almost out of the room when a weakened voice replied to his harsh words. "You...you will never get away with this." The kage wheezed. "We have our own people to defend us." The mysterious man's hand stroked the door handle of the exit. He didn't bother looking back as he said, "People? Oh, you mean your heroes of that 4th war you had?" He smirked. "Don't worry. My resource of today informed me that one of them will be down by tomorrow night. What was his name again? Naruko? Boruto? I guess it doesn't really matter."

The kage's eyes widened in disbelief. There was no way that they could have gotten to Naruto! That fast?! The Land of Fire was on the other side of the continent. Unless this had been long planned. Was there a whole network of them?!

When the masked man did not receive a final response from the kage, he opened the door and stepped into the night air, never to see the kage again. The leader of the Land of Bronze waited, listening out intently for the man's footfalls to fade away before whistling for his messenger hawk. It wouldn't be long before kami received his soul that night. He coughed as his bird flew to his side. The animal had a secret recording seal hidden on its tag. It would record anything the man said with a press of his finger. "Take this to Konoha...and to...any place who will listen." he instructed the bird. The kage then grabbed where he knew the seal to be placed.

With his last dying breaths, he said, "Enemy...coming. No…more chakra. Iron...attacked. Bronze has...f-fallen. Beware Fugato's ice cream and the...the…" And he died before he could say anything more. The hawk, sensing its owner's passing, squawked sadly before shrugging the kage's hand off its feathers. It leaped onto the open windowsill of the room and flew into the night.

**A/N: Wow. That was a lot! I never expected it to be that long! And yes, there was no appearance of Sasuke. :( Don't worry though, he will be here soon! I hope to introduce him in chapter 3. Thanks for reading! I really love reviews so if you wouldn't mind, if you like this story, could you drop a comment? ;)**


	3. Chapter 2: Naruto?

**A/N: Hello again. So I just want to apologize in advance to readers for the short chapter. I had actually written a lot on this chapter and then it all got deleted by a glitch on my phone, and after that, I could not get what I had written back to the way I originally had it. I didn't like anything I wrote afterward and kept deleting and deleting. I almost gave up but I just knew I had to post something for you guys, especially since y'all have blessed me with 20+ favs and 30+follows. I have never had this happen to me with only two chapters and with the story being up for less than three weeks. No, like for real, I started tearing up. So I wanted to try and show my gratitude. Next chapter will be longer and be much juicier. Also remember, Sasuke comes in! :3 I think me updating every other Sunday or Monday is the best bet for me when it comes to pacing and being able to produce longer chapters, so I will try and do that. Thanks!**

_**FIRST ARC**_

_**Chapter 2:**__ Naruto?_

Hinata combed her fingers through her indigo locks. She hummed a tune dreamily as she sat in front of her vanity table, applying a dark shade of red lipstick on her lips. Her lavender-colored yukata was already wrapped around her curvaceous figure. She was preparing for the festival tonight. She could still remember the way the love of her life asked her to accompany him the evening before. Her cheeks grew in warmth and her heart fluttered. She set aside her tube of lipstick.

_Hinata had still been reeling from the order of her father when a knock had emitted from the front entrance of the Hyuuga compound. She motioned for her guards to hold as she went to answer the door herself. Lo and behold it was the man of her most current musings: Naruto. She greeted him with a passion-filled gaze. Mission aside, she had dearly missed him. She hadn't seen him in two months since his departure to the border. He hadn't changed much, with the exception of his shorter styled hair and his bronze tanned skin. The look suited him nicely. _

_She thought she caught him admiring her changes too (she had grown out her hair and the outfit she chose specifically accentuated the curves of her body - not something she had picked out for herself of course. It was Hanabi's idea originally and the only reason she wore it that particular day was because the servants had yet to do the week's laundry), but quickly dismissed the idea when she reminded herself of his feelings towards a certain pinkette. _

_They had quietly passed a few introductory phrases towards each other before a silent pause passed between them. She noticed that Naruto was looking nervous. He failed to keep eye contact with her and he was clamping a hand against his right pants leg. Seldom was the blonde so quiet and fidgety. Concerned, Hinata went to ask him what was wrong, but before she could, he blurted out, in a blushing face, "w-will you go out with me Hinata to the festival tomorrow?" _

_Her answer went without saying. _

And that led her to the present. She shut off her nightstand and stood up from her vanity, ready to leave. She glanced at the analog clock above her bed. A quarter before the nineteenth hour. Good. She was early. She went downstairs and stood outside in the hot air of the evening. She took out her ebon sensu hand fan and proceeded to fan herself with it. Kami, couldn't she wait for winter to fall upon them. A few treacherous beads of sweat rolled down the back of her neck, and Hinata swiftly dabbed at them with the handkerchief tucked inside her small purse. This was no good. She didn't want to be all hot and sticky before even meeting with Naruto! She groaned at the thought. It would be her luck.

Minutes continued to tick by as she stood on her front porch and she began to grow worried. Where was Naruto? This wasn't like him. He wasn't one known to be late for things, and she didn't think him to be a person who "stood" someone up. Though a tiny voice at the back of her mind wanted her to question that. Maybe it had been too good to be true. The same day her father gives her a seemingly impossible mission, the person the mission evolved around came floating on her doorstep, asking her as his date to one of the biggest, most stereotypically romantic festivities of the year. But what if he had gotten cold feet? What if he bailed on her, and chose to go with a prettier girl than her?

Hinata shook her head. Naruto wouldn't do that. And if he did, he was sure to tell her beforehand of his intentions. Naruto was a good person. She knew this. That's why she fell in love with him in the first place.

Hinata informed the guards she would be leaving and, hiking up the ends of her traditional dress, began to make her way through Konoha to Naruto's district. She had to fight back the urge to run to his apartment; one could only think of what rumors would surge if one of the prestigious and elegant Hyuuga had been caught red-handed in the street dashing to the future hokage's home, in a state of overdress. Add in with her being female _and _it being late in the evening, and you had one complicated tale to relay to one fuming Hyuuga Hiashi.

As Hinata walked as quickly as possible through the village hidden in the leaves, she passed by glowing couples who were busy stuffing each other's mouths with icecream cones. Those who weren't doing this were either already preoccupied with smooching on their significant other, playing carnival games, or simply chatting away with their friends. Signs and balloons of various ice cream cones and their flavors encompassed the streets, and paper lanterns were already being lifted up to join them in the night sky.

She spotted Kiba and Shino to the right of her. They were playing a game of hit the bottle. Kiba was currently on his third throw. He smacked all the bottles down for a third time. "Yes!" He whistled as the tenant reluctantly handed him over a stuffed animal chew toy. Kiba wasted no time in tossing it towards his furry bud. "Here you go Akaramu." The white canine barked in appeasement before trapping the toy inside his mighty jaws. He then dropped it on the ground to finish licking up his bowl of melted ice cream. Kiba petted his friend. "You deserve it after the hard work you pulled today in the fields."

Shino had been the one to see Hinata first. He prodded Kiba with a finger before pointing at Hinata's withdrawing form. Kiba waved as soon as he realized who Shino was talking about. He cupped his hands on either side of his face. "Yo Hinata! Where are you going?" he yelled. But the princess was too far away to hear him. He stared after her. He leaned over to Shino. "I wonder what's got her in such a hurry." The bug ninja wasn't sure either.

It wasn't much longer before Hinata arrived at her destination. Naruto's street was rather quiet. Most of its occupants had already gone onto the main streets to join in on the partying. No light or any sign of livelihood could be seen coming from the blonde's apartment. Hinata's eyebrows narrowed. She was suddenly on guard. Something... didn't feel right.

She traveled to his door and lightly rapped on it. When no answer came, she knocked on the wooden entrance harder and even proceeded to call out his name several times. When she still failed to receive a response, she activated her Byakugan. Naruto was sleeping in his bed but his breathing was irregular. Perturbed, Hinata grabbed a bobby pin from within her purse and picked the front door's lock. The door swung open. Her nose wrinkled. A foul stench hovered in the air.

The entrance placed her in a small space that led to a tiny living room that also served as a kitchen. The kitchen in her house alone would have been bigger than the whole apartment. She stepped over empty bags of store-bought ramen noodles and scattered dirty clothes as she hurried over to Naruto's bedroom.

The stench from earlier was tenfold there. She brought the front part of her yukata up to her nose to help combat the odor from reaching her nostrils. She had to pay more attention to where she was going. If she wasn't careful, she could fall. Naruto's bedroom, in particular, was very cluttered. He had scrolls, and even more trash and laundry located on his floor. A cracking noise made Hinata realize she had stepped on a glass picture frame by mistake. She stopped.

It was a photograph of Team 7. The sixth hokage was no longer in his usual white attire but instead was wearing the standard jonin uniform. One could tell he was awkwardly smiling underneath his mask as he tried his best to grin for the camera whilst keeping his two male students from ripping into one another. Underneath his left hand was a teeth-gritting Naruto who was glaring daggers at his raven-haired teammate across from him. In the middle was a cheerful Sakura. She appeared to be so happy to be on her team. And on Kakashi's right hand was the lone Uchiha himself. He was ignoring his blonde teammate's aggressive stare and instead gazing at the camera in a frowning manner as if he didn't want to be there. It was strange to see the Uchiha again after all this time, especially so young. Their academy days had been ages ago. Hinata couldn't remember the last time she had seen him. She had barely gotten a glimpse of him on the battlefield during the Fourth Shinobi World War and since then he had been gone from the village, apparently taking on undercover operations given by the sixth hokage and some of their allied nations.

But it wasn't the Uchiha's young appearance that caught Hinata's eye. No. What did was the pink heart that was shaped around Naruto and Sakura's faces. Her heart clenched. She moved past the frame, trying not to think heavily on what she had just seen.

She reached the edge of Naruto's bed and upon further inspection, immediately dropped to his side. "Naruto!" she gasped. There was a dark brown stain covering the entirety of the backside of his pants. He had soiled himself several times throughout the evening. That explained why his room smelled similarly to sewage. He was shivering as well. His teeth were constantly clattering within his mouth, and he had broken out into a sweat. Hinata placed a palm on his head only to retrieve her hand instantly. He was burning up!

Her kekkei genkai still activated, she hastily scanned over his vitals. He had no internal injuries and he didn't appear to have ingested a toxin but...wait. She scrutinized further. There was something else within his bloodstream. Her eyes grew large in alarm and astonishment. And it was depleting his chakra!

"H-hn...wh..who is that?" arose a muffled voice. Hinata snapped her head towards him. He was awake! She got closer to him.

"Naruto! It's me! What happened? You are very ill! We need to get you-"

He cut her off in a dazed filled voice. His head was slowly tittering sideways. Through glossy eyes, he coughed and whispered, "Sakura-chan is that you?" He squinted at her through the dark. The hairs on Hinata's arms rose. His eyes were glowing red. He then shot her a lopsided grin. "Came to kiss me goodnight?" He made a puckering motion with his chapped, dry lips. He smirked. Hinata shoved away the feeling of a cold hand slapping her across the cheek. Before she could respond, he fell forward, clonking back out. "Naruto?" she called again, frantic. She shook him. "Naruto?!" She was shaking him harder. He was no longer responding. In fact, his body had become utterly still and his breaths had grown shallow. Hinata's heart pounded in her ears. She had to get him to the hospital! "Just wait Naruto-kun. I am going to get you help!" she promised. She gathered him into her arms.

A few blocks away, completely oblivious to the hell his teammate was going through, Kiba Inuzuka could be seen exiting a restroom. Ah, that felt good. All of that food from earlier had made his stomach sick. He was happy to have relieved himself. He yawned. He probably would be hitting the hay soon. He was tired despite it only being around 19:30. He and Akamaru had plowed farmland during the morning time that day for some people in the east. The harsh labor was catching up to him.

He headed in the direction he knew Shino and Akamaru to be. Strange. His ears weren't picking up on as much noise nearby. He couldn't have been in the porta-potty for too long, right? He halted dead in his tracks as he turned a corner. Bodies were haphazardly laying across the ground. One ivory fur-coated one, in particular, stood out to him in the darkness.

* * *

Three days. Three days have passed since the night that forever changed their lives.

Three days since Akamaru gave his final breath. Three days since half of the village was either found dead or in a comatose state. Three days since Hinata was offered a mission and a long-kept secret within her family was finally revealed to her.

To think that her father had lied to her and the clan for all these years. Hinata should have never had to prove herself for the title of heiress because she _was _the heir. The only one and true heir.

She still couldn't grasp it. Hanabi wasn't really her sister_. _And it was because of this that she was going on this mission. She was the _only_ one who could go on this mission. Kami, give her strength.


	4. Chapter 3: The Mission Part 1

**A/N: Thank you once again for the follows/favorites, and thank you to everyone who left kind comments. I know I said this chapter was going to be juicier, but for what I had in mind, it ended up being way too long so I am splitting the content into two chapters. So I apologize if a lot of your questions are not answered within this chapter. However, the next chapter will. On a brighter note, Sasuke arrives in this chapter! I am not sure if anyone cares about that, but for me, when I am reading a fanfiction that starts off with little to no interaction with the pairing I ship, I become very ecstatic when they finally interact with one another, to the point that I am sometimes bouncing in my seat and people ask me what is going on. Is that weird…? xP**

**Ana - Thank you for dropping by and leaving a comment. I really appreciate it. :) I am happy to see that the mystery surrounding the deaths has piqued your interest. I was somewhat afraid this aspect of the plot wasn't going to be appealing to readers, so I am delighted to hear that there are those who are excited to see what's next. I am really interested in hearing your thoughts in response to the next two chapters since it goes more in-depth as to what is happening in the village. **

**Note: I know the way you dye hair is nothing like what is going to be described below. This is a fanfiction based on a fictional world where animal spirits possess people's bodies and people can plunge their fist into a person's upper torso with lightning. So yes, I took liberties and decided to go as far as to change how hair dye works. lol**

**_FIRST ARC_**

**_Chapter 3:_**_ The Mission Part 1_

"Lady Hinata. I've awaited you." came the middle-aged woman. She had gentle, motherly eyes, in the heiress's opinion. Albeit there was a hint of sadness in them as well. The woman bowed. "Please, come this way." She rose back up. A kind smile was stretched across her features. Hinata bowed in return, and quietly thanked her before following the woman into the foyer. If Hinata was remembering correctly the woman's name was Yui.

The salon was average in size. Hinata saw as they walked by that it held the typical things found in a beauty salon: pedicure spa chairs, manicure tables, backwash cabinetry, and rows upon rows of cosmetics that were displayed on shelves. It was seldom that Hinata visited places of this sort. She tended to go natural. If it was a special occasion, her sister or one of the maids would usually apply her makeup on for her unless she was only putting on lipstick (the last time she tried to give herself a makeover she came out of her bedroom looking like a clown - or at least, that's what Hanabi had said to her in horror).

There was no one else inside of the area that Hinata and the woman occupied. Yui led her to a seat in front of a wide mirror. "Are you the only one doing my hair today, ma'am?" Hinata inquired, appearing a little shocked. For all the things the Hokage requested to be done, surely there would need to be a team of makeup artists in order to finish everything by evening.

Yui did not meet her questioning gaze as she wrapped a sanex strip around Hinata's collar. She then draped a cape over her shoulders. "Yes. We...I often don't do it by myself. But due to…" the woman trailed off. Hinata saw her take a deep breath. She cleared her throat. "There is no one here but me now. So... I am doing it alone." she finally finished. Hinata frowned at her own carelessness then, regretting ever asking the question. She should have realized it sooner.

Yui dissipated the uncomfortable silence that drifted between them. "I take it the Hokage has already debriefed you on your mission?" Hinata nodded in answer. Yui continued. "Has he told you the character you are becoming? What she looks like? Her background?"

"Yes." Hinata began to recite the information she had been taught from the Hokage's office the night before. "I am to be a green-haired, brown-eyed citizen from the Land of Wind. My name is Ainu. I am 21 years old and have short hair. I am a descendant of the Nakatomi clan and I have no affiliation with hidden villages whatsoever. I came from an impoverished town in the desert. When my family was murdered by rogue ninja, I decided to leave the place I once called home to travel the world and bring to justice those who had wronged me. Due to it being shinobi who attacked my family, I have no particular affection for the military or the villages that host them. I am traveling with my two best friends who I discovered along my travels. They, too, have troubling pasts."

"Good. Then our descriptions match up. I was afraid the rokudaime may have forgotten our agreed look for you. You have a unique pair of eyes and the shape of your face...well, there is only so much I can work with in so little of time and with not as many hands. I have drafted a rough sketch of what the end result should be. Here." Yui reached into a drawer and retrieved a piece of paper. There was a drawing of a green-haired woman that exactly matched the description of the fake persona Hinata would be for the following weeks. Hinata fought back a grimace. Hinata was not a person who often judged by looks and she wasn't particularly a picky person either. But there was something about the thought of walking around in the appearance of the drawing before her that she found she rather didn't like.

Yet she didn't admit this aloud, and Yui never caught the hesitance in the younger woman's eyes.

"You are very talented." she commented softly. She wasn't lying, of course. Despite Hinata not looking forward to having her hair dyed or cut, she could not deny the talent that was shown on the sketch. She had heard of Yui and her salon in the past. Ino and Hanabi went to the beauty shop often to get their nails and hair done. From what she had seen, the woman and her team never did less than 100%. They were great craftsmen at their jobs. It wasn't Yui's fault that this particular style just...wasn't Hinata's cup of tea. They didn't really have any other choice.

Yui smiled at the compliment. She gently patted Hinata on the shoulder. "Thank you, dear. But don't say that quite yet. Hold the applause for the end. Drawing it is one thing. _Accomplishing _it is another. We will begin by cutting your hair and then dying it."

The woman pressed on the lever located at the bottom of Hinata's chair, and the Hyuuga heiress was soon being lifted higher and higher into the air. Hinata kept herself from peeking at her reflection in the mirror as Yui began to snip away her luscious long locks. Hinata had grown accustomed to tucking herself away from the outside world with her curtain lengthed hair. It was custom for her to allow the strands to fall and mask her face. With the protective curtain, she could hide her true emotions of anger, sadness, or disappointment whenever she was confronted with something she knew she was too weak to do anything about. It made her appear strong. An enduring vessel sailing within a deadly storm. But it wasn't just that. It also allowed her to not let those around her down. With her never-ending smile and obliging attitude, she could make everyone in her life happy and proud. But now that curtain, that veil that hid her true thoughts to the world, was being mercilessly chopped away to be abandoned on the tiled floor below her. And she dreaded it.

By the time Yui was finished, Hinata still had yet to peek at herself in the mirror. Yui put down the scissors and got a washcloth to dust off any lingering pieces of hair that had collected on Hinata's shoulders and neck. She then grabbed a broom and swept the floor around them. When she was done with that, she took a black and green bottle from a table near her. It had the words "Temporary Dye" on it. She shook it and squirted some of its green contents onto the palm of her hand.

"Your generation is very lucky to have products such as these," she said. "It's not as it was when I was in my youth. We had to go through a long, arduous process if we wanted to change our hair color. Now we have these cans that all you have to do is wash the dye into your hair and the color comes instantly. It works anywhere and, fortunately for us, it even works on eyebrows. The only drawback is that it fades out every 24 hours, so you'll have to redo it once a day. Don't worry, I am going to show you how to use it. And I'll make sure you have enough of the cans to last your mission." Then the woman set to work. Her skilled fingers massaged the Hyuuga's scalp and gently pulled on her short hair as the girl's once dark indigo hair turned into a shade of fern green. What followed shortly thereafter was a blow dryer and a tiny brush painting the same canned chemical onto Hinata's eyebrows.

A square container was then placed into Hinata's hands. She opened it. They were brown contacts. Yui helped her put them in. For the first time, Hinata looked at her appearance. It was a very strange sight to behold. Her eyes, for once, appeared "normal". They were no longer the pupilless orbs her classmates and peers from her younger days used to tease her about. It was ironic, really. The very eyes she used to despise due to the bullying and shame it brought her caused her to meet the love of her life those many years ago. He had attempted to protect her from the ones who made fun of her eyes on that cold, snowy day. It was after that winter that she came to cherish her eyes. Not because she would later learn about the power they contained, but because they had introduced her to Naruto. Now she was hiding them, too. It felt like, in a way, she was abandoning her true self. Her identity as a Hyuuga. Her identity as Hinata. She furrowed her eyebrows, face turning hard. _'But this isn't about you.' _she reminded herself. _'This is about saving the lives of everyone in the shinobi world.' _

She stood up from the chair. She went to thank Yui for her hard work and to tell her how what she just did would help bring Konoha back to its feet when the woman stopped her. "One last thing." Yui brought out a bundle of folded cloth. A faintly amused smile rose from the corner of her lips. She suddenly looked a little sympathetic. "Lands from coast to coast know of your endowed form, Lady Hinata." Said woman began to blush. "Ainu cannot stand out everywhere she goes." It was then that Hinata was trained in the art of wrapping one's chest to keep it from rising afloat.

* * *

Hinata was packed and ready to go a few hours later. She did not wear her usual kunoichi attire but instead wore regular civilian clothes. It was odd, to say the least. To not have on her shinobi jacket or any hidden weapon holsters on her body, with the exception of a kunai hidden in her shoe? Yes, very odd indeed. She was simply wearing a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Definitely unlike her. Even when she wore regular clothing on her days off from missions, she usually could be seen walking around town in a baggy hoodie and a pair of capris. But most of the outfits that were selected for her were nothing but shorts and tees. The harder it was to recognize the normally shy and quiet Hyuuga, the better, she guessed. In addition to the clothing, there were fake identification cards including a passport that validated her "life" as a citizen from the land of Wind, snacks, a map, a compass, and most importantly, a letter that she was instructed to give to the person she was to track down with her team.

She glanced one last time at her Konoha forehead protector before leaving it on her nightstand. She could not bring it with her.

The compound was silent for the most part as she passed by the now vacant rooms that once were inhabited by her relatives. Many would remain that way for years until there was more Hyuuga blood to refill them. The remaining...well, that all depended on the success rate of her mission. Tears did not threaten to prick her eyes as she walked through the house, despite the utter gloominess of the surrounding atmosphere. She had gotten most of her crying out of her system over the last two days. Now it was time for her to be strong. To be the brave and capable captain her younger teammates would need her to be.

One guard stood at the front door of the house. He bowed. Hinata acknowledged him. He stared at her for a short while. Hinata realized he was a branch member that had served the main branch for many years. He used to help her mother keep watch over herself and Hanabi when they were children. She remembered he had twin daughters, her cousins, who they would play with sometimes in the gardens. The oldest one, Ichika, was one of the victims who had fallen prey to the catastrophic event that took place over the weekend. The man's eyes were unfaltering and covered in some type of depressed haze as he said, "Please, be _safe._" The man was not ignorant. He knew of Hinata's infamous fame for being one of the- if not _the_ weakest - clan member of the main branch house. He had seen her grow up. Even if she was frail physically, she had a strong spirit and an even greater heart. He didn't want anything to happen to her.

Hinata returned his stare with conviction. She did something that some would say to be uncharacteristic of her; she leaned in and placed a reassuring hand on him. "I will and I **_will _**bring her back." No more words had to be said between the two to know who she was referring to. "I will bring _all_ of them back. I never run away and I never go back on my word." She smiled. "I can promise you that. That is my ninja way." And he believed her.

* * *

Hinata reached the gates of Konohakagure right as dusk approached the still hidden village. The town, which had once been booming and filled with laughter and joy since the newfound peace of the shinobi world, was now comparable to a ghost town. These last few days people hadn't been walking the streets, either because they were in a state where they physically could not do so or because they were busy mourning with their loved ones indoors. The only time Hinata really saw someone traveling down the dirt roads was if they were buying groceries or attending a funeral service.

This would all be changed soon. It _had _to be changed soon.

Footsteps approached her from behind. She turned around. It was her teammates. Both appeared to be younger than her. Contrary to standard shinobi teams where two males would often be accompanied by one female, one of each of the sexes stood in front of Hinata, making their group have a 2:1 ratio in women to men. If she had to guess from the top of her head, she would say that the boy was 14 while the girl was around 16. He was to be called Fumihiro while the girl was to be known as Natsuko. For the protection of all three parties, none of them knew the real identity of the other person on the team. They were all given fake names and fake backgrounds so that if one of them was subdued, they wouldn't be able to tell their captors anything about the other people they were with. Hinata figured this was mostly for her benefit. Out of the three of them, it would be her who would most likely be kidnapped and killed if her real identity was revealed while on their mission. The only person who could know of her true identity was Sasuke, which he would be informed about and why in the letter.

Hinata greeted her teammates with a friendly smile. From what she did know about them, they both specialized in taijutsu, an art Hinata herself was not strong in. But it was a necessary skill to have in order to defend themselves while also remaining under the radar of their enemies. She would need to practice and train with them sometime along the way.

"Hello. It is nice to meet you all."

Fumihiro beamed at her. "Hey! It's lovely to meet you as well! You can call me Natsuko!" She stuck out a hand. Hinata took it. The girl had brown skin and yellow eyes that matched her equally yellow hair. Hinata was somewhat shocked but not upset in the slightest by the girl's enthusiastic disposition. Her ray of sunshine was what the people here in the village needed during this dark, cloudy period of their lives. It was refreshing. Hinata then looked towards the boy. He was nothing like the radiant girl beside him.

He did not make a move to shake any of their hands or even to give them a proper introduction. His eyes were a deep hue of purple and he had dark brown hair. A frown was plastered on his face. He had his arms crossed against his chest. He didn't meet either of their eyes. Merely stared at the ground. Hinata did not push him. He had suffered much already. He needed time and space to heal his wounds.

There was a pregnant pause then shared between the trio and Hinata realized they were waiting for her. She was the captain after all. She went a little red at that. She wasn't used to being someone put in a position of leadership. Usually, she was the one waiting intently for instructions. Her mind went blank at the sudden attention. She searched for something to start off the mission with. "Um, yes. Well...now that we have met each other, I believe it would be best if we went ahead and went along on our journey." She winced inwardly at her verbal usage. Seriously? _Journey? _What, were they taking a tour of Suna? This was a mission concerning the fate of the whole shinobi world for kami's sake! A matter of life and death for most of the people in the village behind her!

Despite her negative inner thoughts, Natsuko just continued to stare at Hinata eagerly, as if she was happily hanging on to her every word and couldn't wait for more. Hinata smiled awkwardly. She would get the hang of this, of being a leader, and she would save Konoha. It would be great practice anyway for when she was given the title of heiress. She got out the map from her bag. "This will lead us to our intended target. If our source isn't mistaken, he should be several days to the north of us, in the country of Earth."

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha had not been expecting company that late chilly and rainy night. He was taking shelter in a local hotel and pub he had found a few days back when he was out doing an international operation that dealt with human trafficking. He managed to find the people responsible for the ring at a hideout and freed the people captive there. Authorities took the criminals into custody shortly thereafter and Sasuke was then at liberty to continue on his travels until he was beckoned again by the call of a mission or the cry of a distressed citizen.

He initially was going to head towards Suna, but as the light drizzle that had started above him began to pour harder, he decided to retrace his steps and return to town if only for an hour or two to avoid the turbulent storm that was coming their way. The two hours quickly fell into nightfall. He didn't mind it all that much. He had nowhere in particular to be, and he had been exhausted from the nights before. He had done a lot of endless walking, hunting, and fighting. He barely had allowed himself any sleep and scarcely ate as he grew closer and closer to uncovering the whereabouts of the traffic dealers. Now that he had accomplished his mission, he would grant himself nourishment and an abundance of rest. He looked forward to it. He hadn't been this tired in a long time. He hoped his great measure of fatigue would discourage any of the night terrors that sometimes plagued his mind during the late hours of the night. He tended to dream of nothing when he was this spent.

He never accepted the sake the bartender offered him on multiple occasions throughout the evening, but what he did order was a decent sized plate of his three most prized foods: skipjack tuna, tomatoes, and rice balls. He was surprised they had any fish out here in the back wooded portion of the country. He knew the Land of Earth's main diet consisted of cow and corn.

It was during this very meal that it became apparent to him that the strangers who had recently entered the pub to settle at a booth located in the farthest corner away from him were keeping watch of him with their three sets of eyes. He generally wouldn't have been that suspicious of their prying glances. Most people stared when they realized they were crossing paths with the disreputable lone survivor of the Uchiha clan, who carried the blood of many on his hands, and possibly of their own kin. Despite him playing a pivotal role in turning the tide of the Fourth Shinobi World War into their favor, people did not fail to remember the horrendous crimes of his youth and still held great hatred for him. He did not blame them. Hatred and pain were two emotions he was all too familiar with. Not that he practiced much of hatred anymore, of course.

It was either them sending him reproachful, loathsome glares or extremely lustful glances that would make the anti-social Uchiha sweat drop and casually but swiftly exit out of the situation and walk away in another direction. Yet it was neither of these that he picked up on as he appeared to absentmindedly deposit a spoonful of sliced tomatoes in his mouth. No. These pairs of eyes were calculating and after a while, seemed to realize that he had taken notice of their presence because they immediately avoided any contact with him. But Sasuke knew appearances could be deceiving. They probably were still keeping tabs on him. He could feel it even without them directly making eye contact with the back of his neck. This is what made him suspicious.

From one glance, a normal passerby might think the trio was simply a young woman with the two kids she was paid to babysit for the night. Despite their ages, poor old mother just couldn't leave her little chickie-dees by themselves at home! Maybe that's the story they were even going for. Sasuke took a sip of the water contained in the cup beside him.

_He_ surmised they were a group with a vendetta against him for something he had probably done to one of their siblings or parents in the past. Or they were shinobi sent to kill him...or someone in need of his help in a mission. After all, their previous stares were not hostile. Well, at least not from the yellow-haired teen and her older green-haired babysitter, or whoever the young woman was to her. The younger of the two females appeared merely curious, while the other looked to be fighting against anxiety while simultaneously trying to feign a stoic expression. The third member, the only boy of the team which nearly had Sasuke instantly ruling out the possibility of them being three shinobi sent on a mission, didn't seem to particularly like him. His eyes spoke of distaste and disinterest.

If they had ill intent, Sasuke would let them make the first move. He was a man of peace now. He would not start unnecessary bloodshed and terror unless provoked upon, and even then, he would like to choose the path of mercy instead of completely devouring his opponents. If they wanted to play, let them play; didn't mean he would join in on their games.

He waved at the bartender. "I need a room for one." He set down a few ryo. The bartender looked at the coins. He acquired a key hanging from a hook on the wall behind the bar. "Room 16. Second floor."

* * *

Sasuke stood beside the door of his hotel room with his katana in hand, but he was not poised to strike. His back was pressed against the wall as he intently listened to the sound of three people marching up the staircase that led to his room. As expected. One would think if this was an assassination attempt, they would go about concealing themselves better. This only strengthened his belief that they may have needed him for something and were not avengers. But no, there was a reason why they hadn't approached him yet. He would still wait for them to make the first move. He couldn't be precarious and make assumptions too quickly. He gripped the hilt of his sword tighter. One of them, the oldest female based on the length of the shadow appearing underneath the tiny space of the door, lingered for a moment on the other side of his door. Then she seemed to think better of it, and continued to follow her companions down the corridor.

Sasuke's grip loosened but he did not leave his spot beside the door. He had a feeling their meeting, however delayed it was, would undoubtedly be taking place tonight.

And his tuition was right, of course.

Around midnight, a knock sounded from the door. He could practically hear the hesitance radiating from the person on the other side of the wooden frame. He opened it with one swift motion. But it wasn't who he expected to see. His clashing colored eyes rose in mild surprise but otherwise, his expression appeared vacant.

The lady before him was not green-haired nor brown-eyed. She held the inherited, lavender, pupilless eyes of the Hyuuga clan. His brain jostled at the sight of her, trying to place a name to the woman in front of him. With her short dark hair, she looked glaringly familiar. Fuzzy memories of a withdrawn, shy peer from his academy days flickered across his mind. He pressed himself for her name, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember who she was. Hinoko? No. Hanabi?

"Uchiha Sasuke." the kunoichi started to say. She suddenly bowed. He was taken aback by the action. "May I come in?" She glanced back up then, and with her eyes, Sasuke was struck with the notion that something had gone wrong. **_Terribly wrong._**

* * *

Sasuke had already scanned over the contents of the letter. His right eye briefly flashed a crimson red before shutting off and, upon the rapid memorization of the letter's words, Sasuke destroyed the letter, as commanded by its author. There were very few times in his life that the Uchiha could genuinely admit that he was fearful, and this was one of those occasions.

He closed his eyes, slightly shifting his body away and out of the sight of Hyuuga Hinata who sat across from him, wringing her hands impatiently. Hinata could not see it, but his face had suddenly peeled away from being stoic and contorted into a borderline deadly expression. A dark fury he thought he had locked away for good began to remerge itself from within the depths of his being._'Sakura...Naruto.' _He gritted his teeth. His Sharingan became activated once again. He would _kill _the bastard responsible for this!

The killing intent that rolled off the Uchiha's tense body did not go unnoticed by the Hyuuga. She had felt the same way the night after everything had gone down. She waited for him to calm himself. She had already apologized earlier for not approaching him sooner. She originally hadn't been sure how to get him alone so she could talk to him freely. Her teammates couldn't know of her identity but it was essential for the mission that Sasuke knew who she was, one so that he could know he could trust her and her words, and two because he was the only one who could truly protect her if all else failed. He was the most powerful shinobi in the world and he was proficient in long-range and close combat.

She didn't have to worry for too long. The opportunity to talk to him had been provided by itself when she had seen him book the room. She was easily able to get the teens to bed when they were out cold. She then washed out the dye in her hair, removed her contacts, and went to his door. She was glad he hadn't been on the attack when she knocked. She had prepared herself for some resistance, but she knew she could never pose a threat against the same man who single-handedly controlled all of the tailed spirits at one point.

His seething was appearing to subside. His face was more appealing when not as angry.-looking. She observed that his handsome qualities had never left him from his youth. He still had those same dark obsidian eyes that the fangirls of their academy days used to rave about. His skin was pale, though not quite as pale as hers, and not one blemish could be seen across the flawless flesh. His jaw was angular, face evenly proportioned, and interestingly enough, the unnatural color and design of the Rinnegan with its many circles, made him all the more attractive. Nearly...otherworldly. And with the absence of the constant frown or glare he used to throw around at people, as she noticed while studying him from afar in the pub below, he actually appeared as a simple, gorgeous man who she could then understand why women so eagerly in the past wanted to date him.

She had never been one of his fans when she was a child. She only had her sights on the clown of the class, or "the screw up" as her classmates referred to him back then. And as mentioned previously, Hinata was not one to typically judge by looks. She looked at the inward person. Hinata couldn't quite place it as a child, but something about Sasuke had seemed too cold. She especially didn't like how he treated Naruto.

This wary feeling increased over time, especially when he deserted the village and became rogue. He had tried to kill Sakura twice, threatened the safety of the village, killed people of other nations, dared to consider conquering the **_whole _**world, and broke his friends' hearts. But Naruto insisted on never letting him go, that there was and still is good in Sasuke. Sasuke is a brother to him, both in a literal sense through reincarnation, and in a figurative way. They shared a bond that even Hinata feared she would never be able to reach with Naruto. It was so deep and connected. That's why Hinata was so determined, even when some of the other Konoha 9 generation members thought she was insane, to treat Sasuke with respect and act cordially with him. If Naruto cared about him that much, then she would try to be kind to Sasuke for Naruto's sake. And if he was now one of their last hopes in saving their world, then she would fight along his side in a heartbeat. _Beg _for his aid if need be.

Could they ever become friends? She wasn't sure about that. Though she had heard how he helped Team 7 in taking down Madara and Kaguya and about his wandering the earth to protect the weak, she didn't know him enough to fully trust him. And the depressed look Sakura carried on her face at the village due to his absence...his letters were rare, and even then, they were often addressed to the hokage, and not to Sakura herself. If the circumstances at hand weren't happening, Hinata was sure she probably would have never talked to the Uchiha at all. He had hurt the ones she cherished too much.

"The letter," Sasuke began. His tone spoke of getting straight to business. "Said that a clan going by the name of Futashi infiltrated Konoha through the guise of various vendors during the ice cream festival and put some sort of poisonous substance in it, that apparently only _you _can detect via a main branch family hereditary trait, and it placed everyone it infected either in a coma or killed them. Whatever the substance is, it eats away the chakra of a person. This has been revealed to not only be a domestic problem, but also an international emergency. The reason why you were sent to get me is because it was tortured out of one of the vendors that the man who owns the store that sold all of these products is a man I aided along my travels."

Hinata blinked. She had never heard the Uchiha heir utter so many words in her life. "Yes."

Sasuke stared. "Tell me more."

Her mind ran back to the night it had all started, even before she had left her vanity table to go on her date with Naruto. It went back to the brief encounter she had with her father.

**A/N: Edit - Sorry, I realized I failed to put up the next chapter's date. Either December 8 or 9th.**


End file.
